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Far-Niente-Press-Kit FAR NIENTE: ONE OF THE NAPA VALLEY’S ORIGINAL 19th CENTURY STONE WINERIES Producer of possibly the oldest bottle of California wine Far Niente, renowned for its production of estate bottled Napa Valley Chardonnay, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon, was one of Napa Valley’s original stone wineries at the time of its construction in the late 19th century. Today, more than 125 years, the winery stands as a stunning example of the region’s early winemaking heritage. Far Niente was founded in 1885 by John Benson, an original forty-niner of the California gold rush and uncle of the artist Winslow Homer. Benson hired architect Hamden McIntyre, creator of the former Christian Brothers winery (now the Culinary Institute of America) and the Gustav Niebaum winery (today’s Inglenook winery), to design the building. Constructed against a hillside in western Oakville, Far Niente functioned as a gravity flow winery, gently moving the grapes through each stage of production. Benson named the winery “Far Niente,” taken from the Italian phrase “Dolce Far Niente,” meaning, “sweet to do nothing.” Far Niente prospered until its abandonment in 1919 with the onset of Prohibition, and was left untouched for sixty years until 1979, when Gil and Beth Nickel purchased the property and began a three- year renovation, restoring the winery to its original 19th century grandeur. Nineteen eighty-two marked the return of winemaking to Far Niente, with the harvest of the winery’s first Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay was also produced at the winery for the first time that year. Although Far Niente produced Chardonnay in 1979, 1980 and 1981, the wines were made at a warehouse in Sausalito. Today, the winery continues to focus on producing only the two varietal wines, with a Napa Valley Chardonnay, a Napa Valley Cabernet and an Oakville Estate Cabernet. Post Office Box 327, Oakville, California 94562 · Telephone (707) 944 2861 · Fax (707) 944 2312 Far Niente Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon are widely recognized by critics, the trade and collectors as being among the most consistently excellent wines produced in every vintage. An uncluttered vision of excellence, paired with a focus on “house style,” vineyard ownership and sustainability, is largely responsible for the winery’s continued success as one of the world’s great wine-producing estates. Founded 1885 Winemaker Andrew Delos (Director of Winemaking) Nicole Marchesi Current Releases 2018 Far Niente Estate Bottled Chardonnay, Napa Valley 2018 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2017 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley Contact Info 1350 Acacia Drive P.O. Box 327 Oakville, CA 94562 Tel: (707) 944-2861 Fax: (707) 944-2312 www.farniente.com [email protected] Media Contact Colangelo & Partners [email protected] California’s oldest bottle of wine Far Niente’s past and present were reunited in 1998, when a bottle of Far Niente Sweet Muscat, vintage 1886, was discovered in a private cellar in Marin County. The bottle exhibits the original label, cork and capsule, and is believed to be the oldest intact bottle of California wine in existence today. The label, featuring a sepia-tone line drawing of a hammock overflowing with grape clusters, is thought to have been designed by Benson’s nephew, the artist Winslow Homer. Historians of the artist compare the style of the hammock on the label to the same technique employed in Homer’s other works but cannot provide authentication since the label is unsigned. Far Niente’s modern label design was created by artist Tom Rodrigues, with the introduction of the winery’s first vintages of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Post Office Box 327, Oakville, California 94562 · Telephone (707) 944 2861 · Fax (707) 944 2312 Gardens and Acacia Drive The gardens and Acacia Drive at Far Niente are world renowned and play an important role in the re- establishment of the estate. The Far Niente winery is surrounded by 13 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens, thought by many to be among the most stunning landscapes in the Napa Valley. The highlight of the gardens are the thousands of southern azaleas that bloom every spring, carpeting the estate in brilliant hues of bright red and deep pink. It is said to be the largest single planting of this particular variety of azalea in California, and possibly throughout all of the west coast. At the height of bloom, colorful patches of azaleas are visible from a mile away on Highway 29. The Nickels began developing the gardens in 1982, after the three-year restoration of the winery, each having come from family backgrounds in the nursery and landscaping business. Acacia Drive is the road leading to the winery gates. The gently curved allée, bordered on either side with more than 100 Autumn Gold ginkgo trees, offers serene views of the Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards of western Oakville. Acacia Drive ends at the Woodland Garden, near the winery gates. Groves of towering redwoods, acacias, dogwoods and century-old cork oak trees create an enclosed canopy around the gates and along the front driveway. The historic stone winery emerges at the end of the drive through the Woodland Garden, lined with olive trees along the front drive and cloaked in colorful Virginia Creeper. The gardens surrounding the winery offer many intricate details. Delicate ferns and fragrant alyssum grow from the nooks between the stones in the retaining wall that supports the olive trees. The gardens are also home to a number of specimen trees, including Japanese maple, Japanese snowbell, lion’s head maple, Chinese fringe and saucer magnolia. Post Office Box 327, Oakville, California 94562 · Telephone (707) 944 2861 · Fax (707) 944 2312 Tours and Tastings Far Niente has always had at its core the philosophy of personalized, customizable service for its customers. Following current health and safety guidelines, Far Niente's normally offered tours and tastings have been temporarily replaced with safe outdoor and virtual private tastings. Both the current tasting options and normally available offerings are detailed below. Current Offerings Private Outdoor Tastings by Appointment: Guests are able to experience the current release Napa Valley Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignons, alongside the extremely limited Cave Collection wines with the Cave Collection Library Tasting, or taste the newest vintages alongside hand-selected wines from the family of wineries during an Estate Tasting. All winery experiences are private, with limited, appointment-only seating. Tastings are available from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily. Every private Far Niente tasting is led by one of the professional wine hosts and is exclusive to the guests’ party, with spacious outdoor seating set among 13 acres of lush gardens. Private Live Video Tasting: Far Niente is currently offering a private live video tasting experience. The virtual experience is customizable; a personally curated selection of wine is shipped to each person. Alternatively, virtual tastings can be set up for those guests who have Far Niente wines in their collection and would like to taste them. A time convenient to the guests is coordinated. During the live video experience, a winery host walks the guests through the tasting, and answers any questions. The virtual tastings are a way to both connect with the guests as well as educate. Normal Offerings Far Niente is normally open for tours and tastings to the public, by appointment, each day from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. In addition to a guided tour and tasting, the winery also offers two private tasting experiences. Tours include a walk through the historic tri-level winery, which is built into the surrounding hillside as well as a portion of the 40,000 square-foot Far Niente wine aging caves, which were the first modern wine caves built in North America when excavation began in 1980. Every tasting ends with a taste of Dolce, the sumptuous, late harvest wine produced by Far Niente’s sister winery, also called Dolce. Estate Tasting: The 60-minute tasting-only experience includes a tasting of the newest vintages alongside hand-selected wines from our family of wineries during the Estate Tasting. Post Office Box 327, Oakville, California 94562 · Telephone (707) 944 2861 · Fax (707) 944 2312 Cave Collection Library Wine Tasting: This special 60-minute tasting-only experience focuses on Far Niente’s Library Wines, allowing guests to taste both the current release Napa Valley Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, alongside the beautifully aged and extremely limited Cave Collection wines. Extended Estate Tasting: Guests enjoy an intimate glimpse of our winery, gardens and wines during this 90-minute Extended Estate Tasting experience. Discover the stories behind the wines, wine caves and tri-level winery during this seated tasting of current release wines and end with a taste of the sumptuous late harvest wine produced by Far Niente’s sister winery, Dolce. Post Office Box 327, Oakville, California 94562 · Telephone (707) 944 2861 · Fax (707) 944 2312 Winemaking DEDICATED TO EXCEPTIONAL WINEMAKING, FAR NIENTE PAIRS HOUSE STYLE, VINEYARD OWNERSHIP AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY TO CREATE AN ENDURING BLEND Far Niente Estate Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon are consistently recognized as benchmark Napa Valley wines in every vintage. A dedication to winemaking in its highest form, paired with a focus on house style, vineyard ownership and social responsibility, has established Far Niente as one of the world’s great wine estates. The precedent was set by Gil Nickel, who purchased the abandoned winery in 1979 and developed a plan for the historic site that had suffered six decades of neglect. Drawing inspiration from the great European wine estates, he determined to produce just two wines – Chardonnay, which was introduced the same year they acquired Far Niente, and Cabernet Sauvignon, first produced in 1982.
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